The new cultivar ‘ATN IM 5’ was discovered as a naturally occurring whole plant mutation. The new cultivar was discovered by the inventor in October of 2004 in a cultivated area of São José do Rio Preto, Brazil. ‘ATN IM 5’ was discovered as a single plant in a field of more than 1000 motherstock plants of the parent variety Hemigraphis alternata ‘Original Moonlight’ (not patented).
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘ATN IM 5’ by terminal cuttings and tissue culture was performed in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil and Oxnard, Calif., and has shown that the unique features of this new cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type on successive generations.